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Pingaree
Pingaree is an island in the Nonestic Ocean, ruled by King Kitticut. It is famous for the producing the largest and finest pearls in the whole world. Description Geography Pingaree is a remote island. Four days' sail to the south lies the land of Rinkitink. To the southwest is an island called the Isle of Phreex. And six days' journey by boat to the north lie the twin islands of Regos and Coregos. At the north end of Pingaree, where it is the widest, the land is a mile from shore to shore. At the south end it is scarcely half a mile broad. From north to south it is four miles long. The island is exceedingly pretty, for the grass and trees give it the color of an emerald. To the gulls who approach it from the sea, it resembles a huge green wedge lying upon the water. The grass comes to the edge of the sloping shores, and the trees form a continuous grove that occupies all the central portion of Pingaree. The houses of the inhabitants are scattered everywhere throughout the land, so there is no town or city unless the whole island might be called a city. The royal palace stands at the big end of the island, to the north, but a few steps from the beach. It is built entirely of snow-white marble and capped by domes of burnished gold. Economy All along the coast of Pingaree can be found oyster beds which produce valuable milky pearls. Every year the king sends six boats with sixty rowers to Gilgad, the capital of the Kingdom of Rinkitink. They return home laden with stores of rich merchandise and supplies of food. The Pingaree people never visit any other land but Rinkitink, so few other lands know of their existence. Population The pearl-fishers of Pingaree are mild and peaceful in disposition. They seldom quarrel even among themselves. Their only weapons are oyster rakes. There are no goats on the island and, despite it being a fairyland, none of the animals there can talk. Fashion The shoes worn by the people of Pingaree are long and pointed, and the points curl upward. History Many years ago, a king of Pingaree had the good fortune to rescue the Queen of the Mermaids. In gratitude she gave him three Magic Pearls, each of which possesses an astonishing power. When King Kitticut was just a boy, the island was attacked by ten boatloads of warriors from Regos and Coregos. The invaders were driven back into the sea with the help of the Magic Pearls. There, a storm overtook and destroyed the raiders and their boats. Many years later, the island was again invaded by raiders from Regos and Coregos. Thanks to a thick fog that blanketed Pingaree all morning, the invaders were able to avoid detection until they were upon the shores of the island, when it was too late for the people to defend themselves. King Kitticut was captured before he could reach the Magic Pearls, and he and every other citizen of Pingaree were captured as slaves by the marauders and taken away in their boats. The only people to avoid capture were Prince Inga and the visiting King Rinkitink. The marauders also looted the island and destroyed all the buildings, including the marble castle. (Rinkitink in Oz) Background L. Frank Baum created another pearl-rich island, Sangoa, in Aunt Jane's Nieces Out West. Category:Locations Category:Nonestic Ocean